Galactica Star
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Galactica Star SUPER STAR Heesen’s Galactica Star is proving to be a leading lady in the superyacht hall of fame. Considering Heesen’s 65meter Galactica Star was only delivered to her Owner this time last year, she’s had an unprecedented 12-months on the water. She’s already been stalked by the paparazzi, appearing on celebrity websites and in the pages of glossy magazines, mainly thanks to her involvement with arguably, the biggest couple in pop music today - Jay Z and Beyoncé were photographed on board Galactica Star last summer, holidaying with daughter Blue Ivy. The ‘Zees’ invited friends and family to join them for a cruise taking them from Formentera in Spain to the Isle of Capri in Italy, with Beyoncé’s 32nd birthday celebrations happening on board. As far as publicity goes, you simply cannot beat having music’s most powerful couple dancing on your sundeck, but Galactica Star’s popularity doesn’t stop with pop legends, as last month, she was awarded ‘Best Luxury Yacht’ at the prestigious Arabian Business Lifestyle Awards. The event attended by over 600 of Dubai’s VIPs at the Montgomery Golf Club was dedicated to distinguishing upto-date trends and styles, from lavish cars to superyachts, arts, fashion, fine dining, sports and travel. The judging panel of Lifestyle Editors shortlisted dozens of nominations for each category down to just four. They evaluated each of the nominated yachts on overall luxury, size, speed for size, interior design and exterior yacht design. Galactic Star was a clear winner over Benetti’s Adora, Gulf Craft’s Majesty 135 and Sanlorenzo Yacht’s 40 Alloy. Quite an achievement, to say the least. But, what makes Galactica Star such a hit with awards panels and pop stars alike? Well, firstly, it just so happens that she’s absolutely gorgeous. Frank Laupman spent five years as an inhouse designer with Heesen before setting up Omega Architects in 1995 and he has been intimately involved in creating most of the yachts delivered by the shipyard since then. As a result, when it came to designing the exterior of Galactica Star, in Frank’s own words: “The biggest design challenge was to move away from the recognised platforms, because you have to deny what has almost become a part of yourself.” In fact, the project developed from a concept he was already working on at a time when Heesen was considering the acquisition of a facility in Rotterdam to build and launch vessels over 65 metres. Laupman had toyed with the exterior lines of an 80-metre yacht with an axe bow that would

Galactica Star The beach club is one of the focal points of Galactica Star. eventually provide the basic design ingredients for Galactica Star. “The problem with such a big boat is how to make it conform with the sporty look that Heesen clients expect,” explains the designer. “The solution in my initial concept was to have a very compact superstructure, while the dramatic arches in the stern connecting the hull and superstructure were a way of balancing the shape of the bow.” The reverse bow was later replaced with Heesen’s iconic pelican bow, so called because it resembles a pelican’s beak...

Galactica Star The staircase was the most complex interior feature to design and build. anticipated from the start and what she lacks in interior volume she more than makes up for in exterior space and sheer good looks on the water. Indeed, the relatively small footprint of the superstructure in relation to the length of the hull means there is correspondingly more space available for outdoor living areas. Perhaps the most impressive of these is the main aft deck with its rigid awning of tinted glass providing welcome shade for the seating area next to the pool. Galactic Star’s interior was...